Macedonian Press Agency: News in English, 96-12-18

From: Macedonian Press Agency <mpa@philippos.mpa.gr>

Macedonian Press Agency: News in English Directory

MACEDONIAN PRESS AGENCY NEWS IN ENGLISH

December 18, 1996

NEWS IN ENGLISH

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

TITLES

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

NEWS IN DETAIL

[A] NATIONAL NEWS

[01] GREEK PRESIDENT TO MEET WITH EGYPTIAN COUNTERPART IN CAIRO ON FRIDAY

The President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos will depart on Friday for an official visit to Cairo where he will meet with the President of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak.

President Stephanopoulos' visit is awaited with interest since the situation in the Middle East is quite convoluted, given that after the election of Benjamin Netaniahu as Israeli Premier, the Israeli and Palestinian relations are undergoing a severe crisis.

Egyptian daily "Al Gum Huriya" recently published an article on Greek-Egyptian relations, mentioning that the two presidents' talks will center on bilateral relations which are on a path of constant improvement in all areas.

The President will return to Athens on December 23. A.F.

[02] FARMERS' PROTESTS ON THE WANE, TRUCKERS WON'T TAKE COUNTERMEASURES

Despite their sounding threats of taking countermeasures against the country's roadblocking farmers, the Federation of International Transportation Drivers announced this evening that they do not intend to blockade the protesters' "descent" to Athens tomorrow.

In the meantime, in a move which further illustrates that the protests that dragged on for 20 days have began to wane, Thessaloniki's farmers blocking access to the city's road leading to "Macedonia" airport and to Thermi's road that leads to the Halkidiki peninsula have lifted their barricades.

Following a meeting held this evening by the Macedonia-Thrace Farmers' Coordinating Committee, the protesters decided to let go of their roadblocks as a "goodwill gesture, in light of Christmas." As a result, the airport's incoming and outgoing passengers will be able to travel without added delays caused by the roadblocks.

However, the makeshift committee has decided to maintain all the roadblocks in most of northern Greece's main road arteries, such as Malgara, the airport in Kavala, Ludia, Aiginio and Litochoron.

In regards to tomorrow's mass rally to Athens, the committee did not announce any orchestrated plans, but instead has said that it is up to the individual farmers to decided if they will join their comrades at the capital.

Meanwhile, the country's seamen continue their work stoppages in all of the country's ports, paralysing Greece's marine industry, having extended their strike to two more days, that is until tomorrow night.

In Thessaloniki, two car ferries and a passenger ship are moored at port waiting for the strike to end, while none of the 15 extra passenger ship routes that were due to be carried out next week will take place. Ironically, these added routes were scheduled to make up for the disruption in public transportation and food transit caused by the farmer's roadblocks. A.F.

[03] PREMIER BRIEFS PRESIDENT ON DEVELOPMENTS SURROUNDING NATIONAL ISSUES

Prime Minister Kostas Simitis briefed the President of the Hellenic Republic Kostis Stephanopoulos on the overall developments surrounding the country's national issues, during a routine meeting held today.

President Stephanopoulos noted that the outcomes of the recently-held European Union Summit in Dublin are quite satisfactory. In turn, the Premier stated that the Summit confirmed the European Commission's policy towards Turkey, in spite of the fact that Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller was active in behind-the-scenes politicking in order to change the "15"'s draft resolution concerning EU-Turkey relations.

Not only did the relevant paragraph remain in the document, Mr. Simitis stated, but, for the first time ever contains a reference to Cyprus and calls on Turkey to promote a solution to the matter of the island's division. A.F.

[04] NO ONE STOPS TURKEY FROM ENTERING EU, EXCEPT HERSELF, SAYS REPPAS

Press and Mass Media Minister Dimitris Reppas reiterated today that the Greek Government's position is well known and stems from the principle that all governments and states must observe, which is that international accords are the most powerful weapon and means in order to establish and maintain harmony, cooperation and friendship in the relations among countries.

During today's briefing, Mr. Reppas condemned once more the provocative statements made recently by Turkish Foreign Minister Tansu Ciller.

"If Turkey wishes to take steps towards approaching the European Union, no one is stoping her from doing so, expect her own self," Mr. Reppas added. A.F.

[05] GREECE'S AIRPORT EMPLOYEES TO STRIKE ON FRIDAY

Greece's airport employees will embark on a 24-hour strike on Friday, according to the Federation of Civil Aviation Employee Associations (OSYPA).

According to the OSYPA announcement, the airport employees are demanding an eight percent salary increase and legislation of overtime and holiday renumeration.

Air traffic controllers and civil aviation technical staff will not take part in the work stoppage. A.F.

[06] LORRY DRIVERS GET ON THE OFFENSE, MIGHT BLOCK FARMERS' RALLY TO ATHENS

Protesting farmers from central Greece's Thessaly region, considered to be the hard core of the country-wide mobilizations, plan to "descend" to Athens tomorrow along with their families, to bring their complaints over the State's austere economic policy to the capital.

In the interim, exasperated lorry drivers who have often been rendered hostage at the road barricades posted by the farmers, are threatening with counter measures tomorrow and may even block the farmers' rally to Athens.

The President of the Federation of International Transportation Drivers Panayiotis Nikolaras said today that this evening a coordinating committee will determine whether or not the drivers will block junctions at the national highways of Athens- Corinth and Athens-Lamia, thereby not allowing the farmers to rally towards Athens.

Meanwhile, the Athens-Larisa route has been freed, as well as the route between Thessaloniki-Edessa. The only vehicles allowed to pass through the roadblocks at Almyros and Velestinos are passenger cars, after an agreement was reached between Magnesia's hoteliers and the region's protesters. A.F.

[07] GREECE-FYROM DELEGATES MEET IN NEW YORK WITH UN MEDIATOR VANCE

Talks between Greece and FYROM will be held again in January of 1997 at the United Nations headquarters in New York, according to UN mediator Cyrus Vance. Following the two-hour meeting held between Greece's ambassador Christos Zacharakis and his counterpart from FYROM Ivan Tosevski, Mr. Vance stated that the exact date of the meeting will be assigned at a later day.

Also, responding to a relevant question, the UN mediator stated that neither of the two countries submitted specific names for FYROM.

However, Mr. Tosevski emphasized that his country is willing to resolve the name issue. A.F.

[08] RELIEF MEASURES OF GRD5.68 BILLIONS TO BE GIVEN TO XANTHI'S FLOOD VICTIMS

The Minister of Environment, Planning and Public Works Kostas Laliotis announced today that the residents of Xanthi in northern Greece who incurred losses during recent torrential floods will receive compensation amounting -in total- 3.15 billion drachmas, while another GRD2.53 billion will be allocated for reconstruction projects in the region.

Mr. Laliotis visited Xanthi today, accompanied by the Minister of Macedonia-Thrace Philippos Petsalnikos, the deputy Minister of Interior Labros Papademas and the Secretary-General of the National Economy Ministry Apostolos Fotiades. A.F.

[09] EU TO GRANT COMPENSATION TO GREEK FARMERS BY JANUARY

Greece's Agriculture Minister Stephanos Tzoumakas announced today the outcomes of the recently-held meeting among the European Union's Agriculture Ministers Council and said that the EU intends to grant compensation for damages to the Greek farmers, thus recognizing that their losses accrued by the recent natural disasters are quite extensive.

Moreover, Mr. Tzoumakas stated that the Greek Government will present the EU with a memorandum outlining the assessments of these damages, which will be subject to EU approval prior to covering these losses from within the EU support funds.

Referring to the timetable within which these procedures are expected to be fulfiled, Mr. Tzoumakas also stated that, within January of 1997, compensation monies amounting to ten billion drachmas wil be distributed.

Referring to the farmers' plight, Mr. Tzoumakas stated that the Agriculture Ministry has proposed a four-year program ladden with restructures, cost-assessing and legislation, all of which are part of an effort to form a new institutional framework that will enable the creation of new concepts and developments in agriculture.

Meanwhile, Press and Mass Media Minister Dimitris Reppas stated today that the Government, represented by Mr. Tzoumakas, is willing to hold talks with the farmers. Yet, Mr. Reppas clarified, such request has yet to be expressed by the farmers.

When asked if the Premier, Kostas Simitis, intents to receive the farmers' coordinating committee, the Press Minister responded that it is Mr. Simitis' final decision not to meet with the farmers for as long as they keep blocking the national highways. A.F.

[10] WORLD COUNCIL OF HELLENES ABROAD CONFERENCE ENDS WITH MIXED FEELINGS

The Presidium members of the World Council of Hellenes Abroad (SAE) ended their Thessaloniki-held third conference today, in a climate marked by concerns over the organization's future.

The President of SAE, Andrew Athens, told the Macedonian Press Agency that the talks held between the Presidium and the country's political leaders were quite productive, although he did add that he has "concerns."

"I wouldn't say that we have complaints, we have concerns," stated Mr. Athens adding that "the Greek Government shares these concerns which are based on the fact that we wish to do more through the SAE."

The president of the Council also expressed his optimism over the prospect of SAE's self financing, adding that the State has promised to provide funding by the end of this year.

SAE's vice-president Elias Rallis, who is also the President of the Regional SAE of Oceania, stated that, despite the obstacles, the Presidium has managed to provide the Council with a vision.

The president of the Regional SAE of Europe, Agathaggelos Aslanides, hailed this conference as the best ever.

"We believe that the political void will soon be covered," Mr. Aslanides stated, adding that the Government's stance as well as the Inter-party Committee's, was especially satisfactory.

However, two of SAE's secretaries, Dimtiris Konstantinides and Paschalis Papachristopoulos, were overall more critical.

"At some point Greece must decide if it wishes to sustain a Hellenic community abroad, and how they want this community," Mr. Konstantinides stated, urging that the whole issue must be viewed from a clearly technical view, not an emotional one.

Mr. Papachristopoulos stated that the Greek communities abroad are disappointed with the Greek State's stance towards them, partially caused by a continuous change in leadership which in turn results in a continuous change in policies concerning Greeks abroad. A.F.

[B] INTERNATIONAL NEWS

[11] UNESCO TO ESTABLISH SCHOOL PROGRAM PROMOTING BALKAN REGIONS' ROLE

The Balkan region's contribution to world peace, and the strengthening of solidarity and cooperation of the Balkan countries, will be the focus of a program titled "Improvement of Peoples' Ties Through the School Book", jointly organized by UNESCO and the Women's Association of Inter-Balkan Cooperation.

This program of UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) sees for an examination of the language and history school books taught in Balkan countries that may contain nationalist and propagandist excerpts which can easily influence the young readers.

"Many of the school books of the Balkan countries have a negative and antagonistic disposition towards neighboring states. There are excerpts in some of these books that promote chauvinism and isolation," accordng to Ms. Titika Vouloni-MacGrew, a NATO employee and UNESCO volunteer.

Moreover, Ms. Vouloni-MacGrew told the Macedonian Press Agency that a recent study showed that fifty percent of these school books contain negative reports for the neighboring countries in the Balkans, while twenty-five percent contain neutral references and another twenty-five percent contain positive ones.

"This phenomenon must be eradicated in order to achieve mutual understanding and cooperation among the Balkan peninsula's states," she stated.

A forerunner of this program is a Balkan conference to be organized by UNESCO, for the exchange of views among Balkan Culture Ministers, and various academicians and historians from the region.

The Council of Europe has already expressed its support of the school program, a move that opens prospects for securing the European Union's cooperation as well. A.F.

[12] STRONG SLAP TO TURKEY FROM COUNCIL OF EUROPE'S COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS

In an unprecedent decision, the Council of Europe's Court of Human Rights has ruled in favor of a Greek-Cypriot woman's claim over the illegal occupation of her land by Turkish occupation forces, while also announcing in its decision that the matter concerns a "continuous violation of human rights."

The President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides saluted the court's ruling today, which was voted 11-6 in favor, and stated that it constitutes a great victory that could bear quite positive influence on the Cyprus issue.

The plaintiff, Titina Loizidou, sought recourse to the European Court when the Turkish government refused to allow her access to the occupied northern Cyprus territory where she has a vacation home.

As such, President Clerides pointed out, given that Ms. Loizidou's residence was only seasonal, the Court's ruling for those cases that concern permanent residents of the occupied territory who are refused access to their land and homes can be of greater significance.

In its ruling, the Court rejected Turkey's claims that the accord for human rights in Europe cannot be enforced in northern Cyprus' occupied territory.

The Court has granted Turkey a six-month time period to file its response concerning Ms. Loizidou's claim for restitution.

Ms. Loizidou's attorney pointed out that the significance of the Court's ruling lies on the fact that Turkey is, for the first time, held responsible by the international community for violations of human rights, due to its continuous occupation of part of Cyprus. A.F.

[13] GREEK AMBASSADOR IS AMONG 200 HOSTAGES IN LIMA, PERU

Greece's Ambassador to Peru, Alkiviades Karokis is among the 200 persons held hostage by the 30 Peruvian rebels who stormed the Japanese ambassador's home in Lima last night.

The attack took place during a reception held at the ambassador's home to honor the Japansese Emperor. The event was attended by an array of foreign diplomats and ambassadors from around the world, among them Peru's Foreign Minister, and the ambassadors of Columbia, Bolivia, and Brazil.

According to reports, the armed guerillas are members of the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA), and are threatening to kill the hostages unless the Peruvian government frees their jailed comrades. A.F.

[14] PALESTINIAN LEADER YASER ARAFAT TO VIST ALBANIA

Palestinian leader Yaser Arafat will conduct a two-day visit to Albania, within the framework of his tour to various european countries.

According to Tirana's state-owned radio station, the exact date of Mr. Arafat's visit to Albania is unknown but he is expected to meet with Albania's political leaders. A.F.

[15] EU SATISFIED OVER CYPRUS' CONVERGENCE TO THE EUROPEAN UNION

The European Union's Irish-held Presidency has given thumbs- up to Cyprus over its convergence with the european goals, as well as its economic performance.

Participating in a structured dialogue held between the EU and Cyprus, were the Irish Minister of Finance -heading the EU Council of Economy Ministers- and a EU special envoy, as well as Cyprus' Finance Minister Christodoulos Christodoulou.

The EU delegation briefed the Cypriot officials on the outcomes of the recently-held Summit conference in Dublin and the structural reforms and technical collaboration between EU-Cyprus. A.F.

[16] CYPRUS' NATIONAL COUNCIL TO DISCUSS NATIONAL GUARD'S ARMS PROGRAM

The armaments program of Cyprus' National Guard, as well as the island's defense expenditures, will be discussed during the conference of the Cyprus National Council to be officiated today by President Glafkos Clerides.

Absent from the meeting will be two party leaders, the Democratic Rally's Yiannakis Matsis who is currently recuperating from open-heart surgery in London, and the Socialist Party's Vassos Lyssarides. A.F.

[17] CYPRIOT LEADERS CONFER OVER BRITISH FOREIGN MINISTER'S RECENT VISIT

A meeting was held today between the President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafkos Clerides and the President of the Cypriot Parliament Spyros Kyprianou, on the recent visit to Cyprus by British Foreign Minister Malcolm Rifkind.

Mr. Kyprianou expressed his reservations over the British government's policy on Cyprus, while he commended the fact that Cyprus refrained from expressing any commitments on Britain's overall policy. A.F.

[18] AVALANCHE OF GREEK-CYPRIOT CLAIMS AGAINST TURKEY AWAITED IN EUROPE

An avalanche of personal lawsuits filed by Greek-Cypriot refugees against Turkey is awaited to reach the European Court of Human Rights, following today's ruling that upheld a Greek-Cypriot woman's claim against Turkey for refusing her access to her home in the occupied territory of northern Cyprus.

Greek eurodeputy Alekos Alavanos, Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) has tabled a question with the European Union's Ministerial Council wherein he asks that the court's ruling be applied to every similar case of violation of real estate rights from the occupation forces.

Moreover, Mr. Alavanos asks that Greek-Cypriot teacher Eleni Foka, who teaches in the occupied territory, be allowed free access to the island's free section. A.F.

[19] F.R.Y.: MILOSEVIC MEETS WITH STUDENTS, LISTENS TO THEIR CLAIMS

The President of the Federated Republic of Yugoslavia (F.R.Y.) Slobodan Milosevic met today with a delegation of students who are protesting the Government's decision to annul last month's local election outcomes.

Mr. Milosevic promised that an investigation will be held to examine the "irregularities" noted in some precincts where the country's main opposition, the three-member coalition "Zajedno" (Together) prevailed.

Moreover, Mr. Milosevic added that those who are found responsible for these "irregularities" will be punished.

He also promised the students that the Government and Minister of Justice will examine their claims, which mostly see eye to eye with the opposition's cries of foul. A.F.

[20] EU MINISTERS OF FISHERY COUNCIL TO MEET IN BRUSSELS TOMORROW

Greece's deputy Minister of Agriculture Vassilis Geranides will depart for Brussels tomorrow in order to attend the European Union's Council of Ministers of Fishery.

Among the issues to be discussed will be a program concerning the reduction in the EU's fishing fleet, during the period of January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2002. A.F.

[21] GENEVA'S MUSEUM OF ART AND HISTORY HOSTS EXHIBIT OF BYZANTINE ICONS

A vast exhibit titled "Byzantine Icons- the Light of Christian East" has been unveiled in Geneva's Museum of Art and History, sponsored by the Lebanese multimillionaire Abu Adal.

The exhibit, to be open until May 4, 1997, features Greek icons of the byzantine and post-byzantine era, crafted by the famous Damaskenos, a Cretan artist who was the contemporary of Domenicus Theotokopoulos, as well as two other Cretan artists, Tzanis and Poulakis. A.F.

Complete archives of the Macedonian Press Agency bulletins are available on the MPA Home Page at http://www.mpa.gr/ and on the U.S. mirror at http://www.hri.org/MPA/